


Midnight Chimes

by intoapuddle



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Birthday Sex, Established Relationship, Ghost Mentions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 10:51:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17682053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intoapuddle/pseuds/intoapuddle
Summary: Five times Dan was scared of the doorbell and one time he wasn’t.(inspired bythis Phil tweetand the idea of the Lesters’ house being haunted)





	Midnight Chimes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [obsessivelymoody](https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsessivelymoody/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOODY!
> 
> Your excitement and involvement in fandom is appreciated by many. You're always up for discussions and I always enjoy reading your takes on things! You've been so welcoming since I came into fandom and so I wanted to write this as a birthday gift. I hope you like it! <3
> 
> and a thank you goes out to Jane @agingphangirl for the help!

Dan can already tell. The poorly veiled smile on Phil’s face is answer enough. He’s got unfairly good letters, that will somehow fit perfectly next to Dan’s pathetic ‘ _cat_ ’ that he just spelled out with an exasperated sigh.

“That’s alright, dear,” Kath grins as she senses his frustration. “You’ll come back ‘round.”

She’s as bad as Phil is at masking her game face. The comforting words are meant for herself as much as they are for Dan.

“Tell that to Mr Giggles over here,” Dan says flatly, gesturing towards Phil.

Phil isn’t even trying to hide it anymore. He’s rubbing his palms together like some cheesy supervillain.

“Oh, mine won’t be _that_ good,” he protests.

Phil stretches his fingers like they’re on the eighth hour of a chess game and he’s about to make the final move. He cracks his neck theatrically, which earns a groan from all of them.

“Here we go,” Martyn says, rolling his eyes.

He shares a look with Dan. Dan covers his mouth not to laugh.

That laughter fades as soon as Phil puts down the first letter. ‘X’. It’s far from the ‘A’ it’ll end with, and the row towards it is filled with bonus bricks. Dan had thought that his _‘cat’_ had at least been far enough from those that the likelihood of anyone getting them was rather small.

Dan was wrong. Phil puts down ‘xenophobia’, earning him 80 points, as he cheers victoriously. Nigel is the only one to give Phil an encouraging pat on the back while Dan, Kath, Martyn and Cornelia groan.

“I am the Scrabble master,” Phil cheers.

“Sure, whatever,” Dan says.

“That’s just birthday luck,” Martyn interjects.

“I’ll take it,” Phil nods. “But it’s not even my birthday! This is all skill, fair and square.”

“So that’s why we’re doing a birthday tour, then?” Dan teases.

Phil’s about to respond when the soothing chime of the doorbell echoes throughout the house. They all look at each other for answers, but find none. Dan checks the clock on the wall next to the impressive bookcase. Midnight.

“That’s odd,” Kath comments. “Will you get that, Nigel?”

Nigel gets up, leaving them be.

“It’s not worth continuing,” Cornelia says through a yawn. “No one will beat that.”

“Oh, come on,” Phil begs. “We’ve got to finish it!”

They’ve only laid out two words each as of yet, but it _is_ their third round. Dan sees right through Phil’s excuse of wanting to play more to prolong family time.

“You just want to keep going because otherwise your win won’t count.”

Phil’s eyebrows shoot up exaggeratedly. Martyn and Cornelia laugh.

“You got him,” Martyn says, holding his hand up for a high five.

Dan meets it, grinning. Phil crosses his arms over his chest and whines.

“I didn’t know it was Bully Phil Day,” he mutters.

“Now, now, dear,” Kath says soothingly. “They’re just sore losers.”

“Mum!” Martyn yelps.

Dan and Cornelia share a look. A secret smile that really only comes about when they’re at the Lester family house on the Isle of Man. They love their boyfriends. They’re all adults, even well adjusted ones sometimes. But when Martyn and Phil are surrounded by some of the furniture from their childhood, and more importantly their mum, they revert back to childhood behaviour. Lucky for Dan and Cornelia, they’re both still pretty adorable whilst acting childish.

Nigel returns at that. Kath looks up at him in question. He shrugs in response.

“No one there,” he says. “Checked around the house. Not a person in sight.”

“Probably just some kids playing ‘knock a door run’, I reckon,” Kath rationalises.

Phil quirks an eyebrow. Dan knows exactly where his mind is going.

“It’s not a ghost, Phil,” he says before Phil has time to.

“Could be,” he says, coating his voice with suspense. “The ghost of the Isle of Man.”

Dan snorts. But the rest of the group leans in over the table, game of Scrabble forgotten, as they completely indulge in Phil’s ridiculous statement.

“You never know,” Kath says. “There have been some strange going ons in this house.”

Dan hates the way his heart starts to pound. He shakes his head in disbelief.

“There _was_ a strange noise from downstairs the other day,” Nigel backs her. “Like a squeak. We looked for mice before you arrived but we couldn’t find any.”

Phil glances at Dan. He smirks teasingly.

“Sorry mum and dad,” Phil says, still looking at Dan. “He’s allergic to ghost talk.”

Dan rolls his eyes.

“Are you feeling frightened, sweetheart?” Kath asks.

There’s genuine concern in her voice. She smooths a comforting hand over Dan’s arm. If it had been anyone else, Dan would have swatted it away. But he steels himself, looking straight at Kath even though he can physically feel the amused eyes of Martyn, Cornelia and Phil bore into him.

“ _No_ ,” Dan says, the emphasis mostly directed at them and not Kath. “I’m fine. It’s just ridiculous. Ghosts don’t exist.”

“Yeah, I thought I knew everything at that age as well,” Nigel nods.

If that was an attempt to convince Dan, it’s failed completely. Dan has ten comebacks on the tip of his tongue, all equally devastating, but he wouldn’t do that to Phil’s parents. He’s not rude.

Luckily, Phil does it for him.

“Seems that doesn’t stop with age,” Phil quips.

Dan laughs. Thankfully, he’s not alone. Nigel looks offended, but he doesn’t say anything back. He probably couldn’t pierce through the volume of laughter around the games table in the lounge now, anyway.

Eventually Kath puts away the game and Martyn helps her with the emptied wine glasses while the rest of them continue with the banter. The topic of ghosts is thankfully dropped. 

So why does it stay on Dan’s mind?

An hour later he’s in bed with Phil. They’re comfortably relaxing on either side of the bed. Dan’s heart is still racing, so he searches blindly behind himself for Phil’s hand.

“What?” Phil mumbles sleepily.

Dan says nothing, he just pulls Phil’s arm over his side once he’s found it. Phil scoots closer, his chest comfortable against Dan’s back. He’s sleepy enough to not ask questions. Dan falls asleep safely in the arms of his boyfriend for the night.

* * *

Falling asleep tonight went quickly. A long, steep hike after weeks of sofa sitting has Dan beat. Not only that, but Dan found himself feeling so rejuvenated by actually moving around that he probably pushed himself a bit too hard, but despite the ache tomorrow morning will bring he enjoys the jelly like feeling to his limbs for now. His body has relaxed sufficiently to feel heavy enough to sink through the mattress back in the guestroom at the Lesters’.

Dan feels like his eyes have only been closed for one second before the chime of the doorbell echoes loud even on the second floor. Dan blinks his sleep-heavy eyes, as he can physically feel the way his muscles tense from the sound before his brain has processed it. 

It’s ridiculous. It’s probably some weird prank. Not a ghost, not anything like that. He’s not stupid.

Then the possibility of something completely different hits Dan and it catches in his throat. What if they’ve been found. What if one viewer knows their location and is conducting some weird experiment on them for a video. Somehow, the idea of that is soothing compared to the thought of paranormal activity. They have experience with intense fans. They know which steps to go through to deal with it. Dan had been under the impression that they’d also learned how to prevent those things from happening by now, but he’s long past being surprised by the lengths some people go to in order to find them.

Dan feels Phil’s cold hand on his shoulder. He turns to look at him. Phil’s looking back with some shared emotion. Dan smiles, humouring the nervous twitch of Phil’s eyebrows.

“I’m a bit scared, Dan,” Phil admits.

He hates that. He hates when Phil’s scared. When Phil’s scared, that means it’s real. Phil might try to spook him with ideas of the paranormal for a joke, but that’s all it is. Jokes, and Phil’s innocent enjoyment of getting a rise out of Dan. In reality, Phil is a steady source of comfort for Dan. Phil’s always there, and he’s very rarely scared. Dan’s stomach twists.

“Shut up.”

Phil’s face relaxes enough for a smile.

“You know you’re scared, too,” he says.

Dan’s not above petty arguments. He glares, challenging Phil, but the Phil’s face calms. Dan doesn’t feel motivated to replace his fears with some misplaced anger anymore.

“I’m…,” Dan whispers, “not.”

The statement sounds uncertain enough that in any other situation, Dan would laugh at the irony.

“Sure,” Phil smiles. “Turn around?”

Dan complies and turns his back to Phil. Soon enough Phil’s slotted comfortably against it. His hand finds Dan’s chest and holds him closer than he did last night. Thankfully, Phil stays quiet. He doesn’t tease, and so Dan lets this be it. He doesn’t defend himself. He pretends that Phil is the one that needs to hold on to him in this moment. The idea of that grants Dan enough peace to fall back asleep.

* * *

Dan gasps as Phil pushes back inside him. He chokes on a moan, holding back from begging for ‘ _faster, harder, more_ ’. It’s strange to be doing this at Phil’s parents’ house nowadays. It’s strange to go from watching Phil be the polite son, the teasing little brother, to rock hard and panting above Dan in bed. It’s a contrast that Dan has a filthy appreciation for. They don’t usually get to penetration here. It’s difficult enough to stay quiet doing this when they’re quick. It’s practically impossible when it’s stretched out to preparation and teasing.

But Phil’s birthday only comes around once a year, and this year Phil wasn’t subtle about how much he wanted to fuck Dan by the end of it. Dan steadies his arms around Phil’s neck and pushes him close for a kiss. It’s dry and sweet, another contrast that makes Dan clench around Phil’s cock and let a restrained moan muffle against Phil’s lips.

“I love you,” Phil whispers.

Dan closes his eyes, enjoying the rhythmic rocking of his body as Phil goes faster. Choked breaths sound above him. It spurs him on.

At that, the doorbell chimes. Phil freezes. Dan immediately glances at the digital clock on the bedside table. Sure enough, 00:00.

Dan lets out a breath as he looks back up at Phil. Phil says nothing. He slows down, thrusting into Dan in long strokes. Dan feels like he’s right at the edge now. Phil brushes his prostate deliciously.

“I’m gonna--,” Dan says weakly.

“Yeah?” Phil asks, slowing down further.

Dan nods, eyes closing as his body starts to tense in strange places. His toes, his calves, his thighs, the very bottom of his spine. There’s some muscle he can’t name but it feels ever present now. A hand covers Dan’s mouth. Some noise he didn’t know he had been making muffles.

“You know,” Phil whispers in Dan’s ear, “some people are turned on by fear.”

It’s the weirdest sex talk, but Dan comes as soon as those words are uttered. It pumps out of him between their bodies. Somehow that hand covering his mouth just made it better.

Phil finishes soon after, pulling out of Dan and spilling onto his stomach. They kiss for a few moments before they get out of bed, clean up, and go to the bathroom.

Once they’re back in bed Dan rests his cheek against Phil’s chest. He hears the steady beat of his heart. Phil’s fingers brush through his hair.

“You know, there’s a name for what you said earlier,” Dan mumbles.

“Hm?”

“About fear.”

He feels Phil’s chest move as he chuckles.

“Really?” Phil asks. “Don’t tell me you want a ghost daddy to fuck you.”

Dan slaps Phil’s chest. He props himself up on his elbow to glare right at Phil’s stupid, pleased smile. Phil smacks a hand over his own mouth to quiet down the loud laughter shaking his shoulders. Dan sucks his teeth, but the attempt at staying cross fails hard when he finds himself laughing along with Phil.

“Idiot,” Dan giggles affectionately.

“I know what you meant,” Phil says, the laughter ebbing out.

“Mhm,” Dan says, rolling his eyes.

“I do,” Phil whispers hurriedly. “Why else would you want me to slap your ass or cover your eyes when we’re at home?”

“ _Phil_ ,” Dan says a bit too loudly, tone a mix between that of a reprimand and being genuinely impressed.

It’s not that they don’t talk about sex, but sometimes Phil really doesn’t hold back. Phil grins, a finger pressed against his lips to shush.

“So this is thirty two?” Dan asks, settling back down to lie on Phil’s chest.

“Uh-huh,” Phil answers. “Definitely. You don’t know what I’m gonna say next.”

Dan smiles, tilting his chin up to look up at Phil’s face through long lashes. Phil smiles back just as comfortably.

“It suits you,” Dan whispers.

Phil leans down, sharing their last kiss of the night, before they fall asleep in each other’s arms.

* * *

“Why?” Cornelia asks flatly. “Why this film? Why do you hate me?”

Phil laughs. Martyn’s got his arm around her shoulders on the sofa. He strokes her hair.

“We could watch something else,” Dan shrugs.

Phil looks straight at him with some secret expression. Dan shakes his head. Dan suggested _Paranormal Activity_ , mostly to prove he isn’t scared. He does feel the fear creep back, though, at the first scary scene of the film. He wants to borrow some of Phil’s ease, the one that allows him to laugh at it and watch it for the story instead of clenching his jaw in anticipation for the next jumpscare.

It doesn’t work. Dan sits alone in the large armchair, thighs against his chest, as he pretends not to close his eyes every time he gets scared.

“I need to get to bed, anyway,” Martyn says. “I don’t want us to miss our flight in the morning.”

“Sick of me already?” Phil asks.

“Yes,” Martyn answers with a smile.

If three days was enough for Martyn to get sick of Phil, Dan’s impressed with how closely they’ve lived and worked for years. It isn’t, though. Martyn’s being a brother right now and Dan has too much difficulty pretending not to be scared to understand casual conversations right now, it seems.

Martyn and Cornelia say good night and take off upstairs. Nigel and Kath has already gone to bed, after another night of pleasant dinner conversations and the ever present feeling of _family_ lingering inside of Dan. Tonight, that is not enough to stave off the way his mind starts to run while watching a horror film.

Dan doesn’t care about seeming brave once Martyn and Cornelia have left. He moves to sit close to Phil on the sofa and pushes back against his chest like he does at home, the one place where Dan usually only allows himself to act as small as he feels. Phil barely reacts, he just wraps an arm around Dan and holds him in that position they’re both so accustomed to.

“We can turn it off, if you want,” Phil offers gently.

Dan closes his eyes. Despite the low, scary bass coming from the speakers beneath the sound of hurried, frightened voices he feels like he could fall asleep just like this.

“It’s fine,” Dan answers.

He sounds calm enough for Phil not to say anything else. It doesn’t take long until all sounds and sensations leave Dan and his consciousness slips away to sleep.

He jolts awake at the sound of the doorbell. He sits up straight, as if forcibly pushed away from Phil. He stares into nothing with bated breaths. Phil doesn’t move behind him. Dan looks to the screen. The female lead gets dragged from her bed by an invisible demon.

Dan stands up and runs his hands through his hair as his heart beats in his throat and his lungs tighten.

“Turn it off, now!” Dan yells.

Phil turns the TV off completely, not pausing, despite Dan’s request having been an emotional reaction and not the demand it must have sounded like.

“Quiet,” Phil says in a whisper. “They might hear.”

Dan turns around, stares at Phil with a shocked expression.

“Are you joking right now?” Dan yells, except now it’s whispered. “Really, man?”

Phil looks confused.

“Oh,” he says once he gets it.Then he lets out a small laugh. “Oh, no, sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I meant my parents.”

Dan turns around again. He would laugh if he didn’t feel unsafe in a place that usually comforts him. He would laugh if Phil stopped being so unnaturally compliant with the strange situation they’ve found themselves in.

He feels Phil’s presence behind him as he stands up. Dan doesn’t move.

“I’m sorry,” Phil says. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

The racing of Dan’s heart slows. He’s being insufferable. He turns around and takes one of Phil’s hands in his, shaking his head with a fake laugh.

“It’s fine,” he says. “Anything that loud would have scared me awake.”

Phil sighs.

“Dan,” he says. “It’s me.”

Fucking Phil. How has Dan deserved a Phil?

“Alright,” Dan gives in. “Yes, the bloody doorbell scared me because I’m scared that a demon will come in and kill me in the middle of the night. Okay? I’m a pathetic idiot who’s scared of a broken doorbell.”

They’d talked about the possibility of fans coming to do this during dinner, and all landed on the conclusion that it seems unlikely. It seems to be way too strange for that to be it, and compared with some of the creepy encounters Dan and Phil have experienced and the mild stalkerish behaviours they’ve been subjected to, this would be way too planned and out there for something like that.

“Stop it,” Phil says. “You’re not an idiot. And this time it ended with a knock, of course it spooked you.”

Dan stares.

“What?” he asks.

“Nothing,” Phil replies in the same frightened tone.

“A _knock_?” Dan repeats, hand squeezing Phil’s.

Phil wringes it out of Dan’s grip.

“Ow!” he complains. “I’m not sure, but I thought I heard a knock after this time!”

“I didn’t hear a knock,” Dan says. “I definitely did _not_ hear a bloody knock!”

“It’s fine,” Phil tries. “It was probably just someone walking upstairs.”

“Your playing a dangerous game here, Phil,” Dan says, trying to manage his breathing.

“You know I don’t mean that a demon was walking upstairs.”

“It’s _worse_ when you specify, Phil.”

“Sorry.”

They go quiet for a moment. Then Dan walks hurriedly towards the hallway.

“Wait, Dan?” Phil asks, skipping forward to keep up. “What are you doing?”

“I’m checking it out,” Dan says.

He’s angry now. He doesn’t know at whom or what, but he’s done feeling scared of this shit. He wants to put an end to it. He wants to find a reasonable explanation.

“Alright,” Phil says, where they’ve stopped just before the hallway entrance.

Dan doesn’t move.

“So..?” Phil asks impatiently.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Dan says.

With his heart in his throat he walks towards the front door. He’s never been scared of it before. Nothing about it is particularly intimidating. It’s a fancy, homey blue wooden door like in any other house at any other time. His mind is just creating unnecessary scenarios of someone breaking through it right at the moment when Dan gets close to feed into the fear. It’s all in his head. It’s fine.

“How do you plan on checking this, Dan?” Phil asks.

Dan stares at the front door.

“You need to go outside to see it,” Phil explains.

“I know that,” Dan says.

They linger. Then Phil reaches for the handle and Dan swats it off.

“I’ll do it,” he says, putting on a brave voice.

He puts grabs the door handle. He waits. The sudden, loud ‘whoosh’ of wind slamming onto the door causes Dan to scream and run halfway up the stairs right next to the door.

He pants loudly, clutching his chest, as his eyes start to clear from the fear that clouded them. He covers his mouth as he starts laughing. Phil is still standing by the front door, looking up at Dan as if he’s lost his mind. Dan can see it from his perspective. How incredibly ridiculous all of this is and how actually insane Dan is acting. As if running away screaming in fear wasn’t enough, now he’s laughing like a hyena. Perhaps the person that should be scared here is Phil.

“I’m sorry,” Dan wheezes, feeling his body relax through every chuckle that comes out.

“You’ll be the one to explain this to my parents in the morning, Dan,” Phil tuts.

Phil takes a step towards the door. He peeks through the window next to it. Dan grins.

“Let’s not,” Dan says. “I don’t want you to die.”

“Shush,” Phil shoots back. “I’m not dying.”

He seems so serious that Dan has to laugh.

“You’re being obsessive,” Dan giggles affectionately. “And moody.”

Phil looks up at him.

“I’m not being moody.”

He fakes a smile to get his point across. Dan snorts.

“I really wanted to figure it out now,” Phil whines.

He starts walking up the stairs, defeated. Dan follows him the rest of the way, giggling. They quietly make their way to the guest room.

While Dan brushes his teeth and Phil does his nightly skin care routine, Phil comes up with an idea.

“You know what we should do?” he asks as he rubs the moisturizer over his cheeks.

“What?” Dan asks through a mouthful of foamy toothpaste.

“We should camp out for it tomorrow night.”

Dan glares at him disapprovingly.

“It’ll be an adventure!” Phil insists. “It’s been happening around the same time every night, right?”

Dan nods slowly. “Yeah, midnight.”

Despite how gargled his voice comes out, Phil gets it.

“Okay, sure,” Phil says with a fond smile. “We’ll camp out in the hall a quarter to midnight to see if something happens. Get some salt and other anti-monster gear to stave off any demons.”

It does sound like a bit of fun, while kind of terrifying, but Phil’s excitement is reason enough to comply.

“Sure,” Dan smiles.

Tomorrow is their last night here, so they might as well try to solve this mystery once and for all. Phil grins excitedly at Dan agreeing, and before they make it to the bed Dan can’t help but feel a rush of affection at this ridiculous man he’s spending his life with.

* * *

They’re in their pyjamas, a blanket each wrapped around their shoulders. All the lights are out, except for a large flashlight they’ve placed on the floor in front of them. Phil has brought a bag of knick knacks next to his side. He keeps one hand on the strap as if he can’t wait to make use out of one of the items he’s packed. He’s really just living his fourteen year old Buffy dream, at thirty two, with his life partner in his parents’ house.

It’s too sweet, and the day they’ve had has been so lazy and nice that Dan feels a bit more at ease with the idea of braving midnight next to the person that he loves most in the world.

Kath and Nigel had laughed at them when Dan apologised for the excessive noise from the night before. Dan didn’t have to explain much about the reasons. Kath simply told them that she just thinks it’s nice to have some noise around the house again. When Phil talked about their plans to see what really happens at midnight, his dad shook his head and said that there must be some error with the doorbell that makes it chime unpredictably. While Dan wanted to take Nigel’s side just to prove that he doesn’t believe in these sort of things, he found himself insisting that the strange part about it is that it’s been happening at the same time every night.

It doesn’t feel as scary, looking at it as an adventure. They have popcorn and coke zero. They’re listening to their shared nostalgia playlist off Dan’s phone. A lot of the songs on it are from the first year they met. Mainly Muse, but some other popular songs from that time as well. It feels like being a kid at a sleepover, finding excitement in nothing but making that nothing into something that will turn out to be unforgettable. Simple. Exactly what they need to indulge in after a year of preparations and touring through several countries.

Dan puts his head on Phil’s shoulder. It’s not really like the sleepovers he had as a child. At times, Dan’s mind gets stuck on a loop, repeating moments he wants to rewind to. When everything felt simple, when the world felt like an open sandbox of opportunities rather than an empty black void that could swallow him whole. But no matter what Dan could compare this to, none of it matches up. Nothing feels as good as being next to Phil in this moment. Phil, who is respectful, intelligent, and frugal for the sake of their future dreams, and at the same time willing to indulge in a childlike adventure. So serious about figuring out who the demon behind the front door is like some Scooby Doo moment. Dan has his off days, but tonight he’s honestly pleased about where he’s ended up in life so far.

“Did you hear that?” Phil whispers.

Dan listens. All he can hear is the sound of Lady Gaga’s _Bad Romance_ and Phil’s breath.

“No?” Dan half says, half asks.

“I thought I heard something,” Phil murmurs.

Dan holds his breath, listening intently. 

“Oh,” Phil says. “Could it be?”

Dan sits up. He quirks an eyebrow as he watches Phil lean forward theatrically. He’s ridiculous. He’s an absolute child.

Phil looks at Dan.

“You’re a-”

“BAAH!” Phil yells, hands up, completely in Dan’s space.

Dan calmly takes in that stupid face that he loves, now twisted to that of a monster, and smooths a finger over Phil’s cheek. Phil’s shoulders slump with disappointment.

“You’re cute,” Dan says and kisses him.

“I’m not cute,” Phil complains. “I’m a monster.”

“That you are,” Dan agrees.

“Hey!” Phil says.

At that, a cold breeze hit them. Dan looks at the time. It’s three minutes until midnight. His stomach fill with nerves.

“It’s starting,” Phil whispers.

“It’s not funny now,” Dan bites back.

Phil wraps an arm around him, part of his own blanket covering Dan as well now.

“It’s okay, Dan,” Phil smiles. “I’ll save you.”

Dan chuckles, but his nerves are still alive. He stares at the clock. The minute goes from fifty seven to fifty eight. Phil seems to still be having fun. He holds Dan close as he unzips his bag and gets a salt shaker out.

“A salt shaker,” Dan comments.

“Demon repellent,” Phil corrects.

Dan feels a tug at his heart at that, watching Phil grip the salt shaker like an actual weapon. To protect Dan and make him feel better about a faulty doorbell that rings at midnight. He’s still surprised by the lengths Phil will go to in order to form a narrative that works for Dan to feel less scared.

“You’re gonna be a great dad someday,” Dan whispers.

Phil looks down at him. They haven’t talked about this kind of stuff in a while.

“I thought you didn’t want children,” Phil says, smiling.

“I don’t know,” Dan says, feeling his heart race in a different way. “But you’re like a childless dad sometimes.”

Phil chuckles.

“Yeah, I know _you_ think so,” he says in a suggestive voice.

Dan would groan, but he’s too fond of Phil right now not to go along with it.

“Daddy,” he jokes.

This time Phil groans. But it’s not as exasperated as it is … something else.

“Seriously, Phil?” Dan laughs.

Phil puts down the salt shaker and leans into Dan’s ear.

“Can’t wait until we’re home tomorrow night,” he whispers.

Dan shudders, despite himself. It’s a bit risky, to sit here in the open space of Phil’s parents’ hallway having a conversation like this when one of them could walk down any minute. Phil glances away for a moment.

“It’s midnight,” he says, alarmed.

Dan sits up straight at that, all thoughts of anything else replaced with a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. He clutches his phone hard in his hand. He stares at the door. Then back down at the time. Nothing’s happening.

“It knows we’re here,” Phil squeaks.

Dan wants to punch him. He holds his breath, eyes going between the door and the time. Right before the minute turns to one past the doorbell chimes loudly. It feels like a roar in Dan’s ears, and a cold breeze hits them like thunder.

Dan and Phil simultaneously stand up and run halfway up the staircase screaming. When Phil stops, Dan wraps his hand around Phil’s wrist and pulls him with him.

“Nope,” he says. “Nope, nope, nope. I’m not going down there again.”

Phil doesn’t argue. He goes with Dan until they’re at the top of the staircase, giggling, as they peek downstairs at the popcorn that’s been discarded across the floor and the blankets that are strewn across it like a crime scene. Phil’s ‘weapon bag’ sits pathetically unused.

“What was the point of the salt shaker?” Dan complains.

“I don’t know!” Phil yelps.

It’s still in a tight grip in his hand. Dan laughs.

“Your scream scared me!” Phil says. “I couldn’t do anything!”

Dan shakes his head. He’s barely even scared anymore. This is too funny to put in a frightening context anymore.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Dan,” Phil says sincerely.

Dan kisses him. If he was cheesy enough he’d tell him that Phil’s already saved him a thousand times over. An imaginary demon is no match.

* * *

For as much as they love their time at Isle of Man, their first night back at home is a blessing. Five days away is enough to find appreciation in their own shared space, where noise and conversation doesn’t have to be censored. The change is felt the moment they come back home. It’s not that they’re not themselves around Phil’s parents. They’ve gotten past some of that initial fear of body contact or flirting in front of them. They talk to them in a completely different way than they used to. Dan is part of the Lester family in his own way now, after all. But to know that Phil doesn’t feel pressured to appease anyone in any way when it’s just them, in their space, puts Dan’s mind at ease.

They trade lazy blow jobs and watch anime. Phil’s still thinking about the “daddy” thing, the little minx, and Dan’s not opposed to the fantasy. It’s just that, playing, and it doesn’t at all retract from Dan’s statement the night before. In real life, somewhere in the future, Dan has to see Phil become the dad he’s always been meant to be.

They sleep in a bit too long, but Dan can’t feel anything but refreshed upon waking that morning. Phil is already up. He’s in his boxers, speaking to someone on the phone. He paces around the room like he always does on the phone, yawning between sentences. From the tone of his voice Dan can tell Kath’s the person on the other line.

Dan hears Phil’s breath hitch, though, which isn’t usual. He looks at Phil, who’s stopped in his tracks. He’s listening intently to whatever Kath’s saying.

“Really?” Phil asks. “Nothing at all?”

Dan quirks an eyebrow, trying to communicate to Phil, but Phil looks away.

“Hm,” Phil says. “Alright. Yeah, it’s probably nothing. Okay, yeah. Love you. Bye.”

Phil turns to look at Dan.

“What is it?” Dan asks with a distance.

Some fear is starting to tense his shoulders, and he’s not sure why.

“The doorbell didn’t ring last night.”

They stare at each other. In that moment, the doorbell of their apartment rings.

Dan shoots out of bed. He’s naked and he doesn’t care. He slams his back against the wall and stares at Phil who is annoyingly calm as always. But then Phil starts to laugh like a maniac and now Dan thinks he might _actually_ punch him.

“I ordered us breakfast,” Phil wheezes through his laughter. “I’m sorry. You should have seen your face.”

Dan calms down. He shakes his head. Phil walks up to him and pets his cheek.

“So the whole Kath conversation was a joke?” Dan asks, relieved.

Phil looks at him with a distance. Then he nods unconvincingly.

“Yes,” he says slowly. “Just a joke.”

“I hate you,” Dan mutters.

Phil kisses him.

“Stop that,” he says. “Whatever was wrong probably just worked itself out.”

“Sure,” Dan mutters. “Because things just work themselves out.”

“Yup,” Phil says, hurrying away to pull on a t-shirt and jogging shorts. “I’ll get the food. Put something on and meet me in the lounge?”

“Alright,” Dan agrees as he watches Phil jog out of their room.

He releases a breath. They’re fine. The door bell’s stopped, but Dan finds that the idea of finding out whether it’ll start up again the next time they visit doesn’t scare him as much is it usually would.

Dan hears the door close from downstairs. Phil’s got the food and Dan feels his stomach rumble. He puts on shorts and a t-shirt, ready to go downstairs.

It’s strange. Dan has a hard time admitting fear. He hates having to be taken care of. He doesn’t ask for help unless he absolutely has to. But with Phil, the time between holding on to false bravado and admitting defeat keeps diminishing. Be it work related, a life decision, or something as small as a doorbell ringing in the middle of the night, Phil’s there. He unties those knots. At the start, he’d accidentally draw them tighter sometimes, but now he’s figured Dan out well enough to know exactly what works.

He’s gentle, caring, and non-judgemental. He doesn’t act like nothing happened after. He manages to turn it into jokes, when it’s appropriate. Dan’s grateful for it. 

Even if the knot is a childish fear of ghosts, Dan knows that no matter what his next obstacle is Phil will be by his side, metaphorical salt shaker in hand, ready to take on whatever Dan’s facing. He may get a bit obsessive. He may get a bit moody. And that’s okay, because in the end, it assures Dan that he’s not alone. He has safety and comfort close by as soon as he feels ready to accept it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> [tumblr link](https://intoapuddle.tumblr.com/post//midnight-chimes-for-obsessivelymoody-happy)


End file.
